145 Eavesdropping (1/2)
Gu Shenwei chastised himself harshly.
His family has laid dead for about two years, and he has stolen into Golden Roc Fort with the purpose of slaying the whole of the Supreme King's family. However, he has not killed a single master.
Amnesia quietly unleashed its prowess, as Gu Shenwei realized that he has gradually gotten used to the life of a killer. Kowtowing to his master, pandering to his master's interests, he has naturally placed the interests of Stone Castle first and just as Tie Hanfeng had said, ”once you've gotten used to it, it no longer feels like a responsibility.” However, a young man needs such a burden, for it is the sole purpose behind his existence.
He could not wait any longer for Peripheral Force, and the Death Scriptures reminded him of his impending death, and they left him less and less time.
Looking at the entire Gu family's demise from the perspective of a killer, the matter was definitely fishy.
For one, a problem lay with Golden Roc Fort. Gu Shenwei has stayed in the fort for slightly more than two years and has witnessed and heard of few assassinations. Most of them took place at Jade City, mainly for his own safety. Golden Roc Fort had an august reputation and was too prominent, while the killer's signatures were also too distinctive. Assassination could only be a trifling means, and could hardly pull the wool over people's eyes.
Golden Roc Fort was being transformed from an organization of killers into a local power and in the camp of New Moon Hall, Shangguan Nu seemed to be leading an army.
Gu Shenwei could not find the reason behind why Golden Roc Fort had slain the Central Plain's Gu family. From an outsider's perspective, this seemed like a trifling matter. However, Gu Shenwei had read so many materials, and he was well aware that over ten years ago this might have seemed like any run-of-the-mill assassination. However, to the Golden Roc Fort of today, this was definitely amiss.
And also, as for the Gu family, the more Gu Shenwei thought about it, the more he felt that his father Gu Lun's decision to travel for miles from the Central Plain to the Western region had not made sense. This was akin to sundering the many ”ties” of the Gu family, which placed the family in mortal danger.
The facts had also proven that after the Gu Family's death, the only person who could right the injustice was Marshal Yang.
There was only one way to clear these doubts. Examining relevant books from two years ago, one might be able to find out who were the killers who joined in the operation, and what their motives were.
The historical data of the incumbent Supreme King have been stored in the Document Library of the Whiterobe Academy. Mister Guo is the chief of the Document Library, and it would be impossible for Gu Shenwei to gain any help from him.
Gu Shenwei devised a few plans which all revolved around bribing the handyman of the Document Library to smuggle a hand-copied manual out from the library. However, he quickly abandoned them as the motive behind this move would have been all too clear. Anyone would have suspected. He could also specify the months he wanted of the manuals, but a theft without any overall direction would also arise suspicion.
He decided to take a risk by taking things into his own hands.
Gu Shenwei had once worked at the Whiterobe Library's Archive Academy for a month as a handyman. So he knows the internal happenings of the academy and the rough location of the Document Library.
On the night of the assassination, Gu Shenwei explored the academy in the night. That thirst for revenge grew in him, and he could not wait a day any longer.
Long before his Internal Strength had leveled up, Gu Shenwei had been able to evade the night watchmen of the fort. Not forgetting how Whiterobe Academy's defenses are more strict than anywhere else, Gu Shenwei spent the first half of the night eavesdropping on the wall. After getting a clear sense of the watchmen's surveillance route, he flipped himself over the wall and entered.
The Document Library was one of the Whiterobe Academy's most important organizations, and it roughly occupied one whole row in the East wing room. However, its defenses are not strong. Behind locked doors, the window is only equipped with an inner partition, and Gu Shenwei could easily pry it open with a dagger.
Prying open the window was simple yet extremely dangerous. Gu Shenwei waited till the gongs sounded in the wee hour and took his chance. He fished out his dagger and entered the room through the window. It happened in the blink of an eye, and unless someone stared in this direction, no one would have discerned the silhouette of this thief.
The room that Gu Shenwei entered was the depository of the Document Library. The objective of his search was the paperwork of June in the Gui Mao year.
The rules for placing documents here were similar to those of the Archives library, which saved Gu Shenwei much trouble. With one hand holding three layers of black clothes and the other a small candle, he tried to prevent the candlelight from permeating out of the room. He found the words ”Gui Mao” on the fourth shelf.
The titles were stored by date. Gu Shenwei placed the candle on the shelf and quickly flipped the manual, and just as he had reached May, he heard footsteps outside the door.
He quickly snuffed the candle and kneeled on the ground.
Two lantern-carrying handymen entered the room, yawning and complaining at the same time.
”It's too rushed.”
”It's already the fifth day.”
”It's like finding a needle in a haystack.”
”Who said it isn't going to be?”
”Hush, just continue flipping. If we can't find it again tonight, Mister Guo will scold us again.”
”Mister Guo.” These words aroused Gu Shenwei's interest. Since he was the chief of the Document Library, the object that he is looking for must be exceedingly important.
One of the handymen twitched his nose, saying, ”did you smell candle oil?”
”It's your nose that is blocked. Hurry and get to work.”
The two extinguished the lanterns and lit the lamps on the table at the door. Together, they lifted a big box from the corner of the room and took out volumes of tightly-bound papers. The servants began to read them book by book, page by page, intently.
There was silence, interrupted only by the rustling of flipped pages.
Gu Shenwei squatted in between the bookshelves, holding his breath. He was afraid of being discovered. He feared that they might take too long and that he would not be able to escape before dawn.
His fears were not unfounded. Even when it gonged at four, those two servants seemed to reveal no intentions of ending their search. Gu Shenwei began to consider how he might hide in the room for the whole day. He also thought about how he might account for his ”disappearance” to outsiders.